


Upon Waking

by Passionate_Storyteller



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Finn-centric (Star Wars), Fix-It, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV Finn (Star Wars), Recovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Passionate_Storyteller/pseuds/Passionate_Storyteller
Summary: A story of Finn waking up and starting his recovery.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

**_Bzzzt_ ** _._

_Finn, holding Rey in his arms, froze at the sound of the lightsabre. He had a split second of realisation before Kylo Ren yelled, “Traitor!”_

_Finn lifted his head, jaw clenching. How_ dare _he. **Finn** was the traitor? When Ren had betrayed his own **family** , turning his back on their hopes for the galaxy and – now – killing his own **father**? Ren moved ever closer. Finn knew he expected an easy victory. _

_Almost on instinct, his hands found the lightsabre lying in the snow next to Rey. He snatched it up and turned to face his enemy. Finn had spent the last five years fearing Ren. But no longer. **Bzzzt**. The Skywalker sabre blazed into life. _

_Finn met Ren’s gaze, breathing hard. Ren stared back. “That lightsabre – it belongs to me.” Kylo Ren said, reaching out his hand. Finn’s frown deepened. He had the **nerve** …after everything he’d done? Just because it was his **grandfather’s**? No._

_“Come and get it!” Finn growled – and then charged with a yell. He caught Ren by surprise…and the sabre-dance began._

_Finn leant into his instincts, fuelled by his determination. He struck out, again and again. Parry – strike – parry – block. Ren parried back, easily blocking every one of Finn’s counterattacks. The longer the battle went on, the stronger Ren seemed to become. He appeared to enjoy the fight, smirking at Finn’s skills._

_Ren’s efforts forced Finn to the ground, but Finn scrambled up again and renewed his own efforts – until, at last, he parried, swung, and landed a hit on Ren, grazing his arm with his blade. Ren drew back, startled. Finn felt a rush of vindictive pleasure at surprising him, before Ren renewed his attack with increased ferocity._

_Ren’s blade caught and held the Skywalker sabre in a block, and then used his momentum to fling it out of Finn’s hands. Finn had time for one moment of shocked terror before Ren’s fist caught his jaw, stunning him into exposing his back. Ren lunged…and Finn felt the agony as the sabre ripped into him._

_He crumpled. Amidst the pain, Finn thought,_ I’m sorry, Rey…. _The last thing he was aware of was the cold of the snow on his cheek, even as it burned and steamed where it landed on his wound. Then, Finn succumbed to unconsciousness._

*

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Finn came back to himself to the sound of a soft, steady beeping noise, accompanied by a sharp antiseptic smell. He twitched his nose and attempted to open his eyes – his last memory, the lightsabre fight, filling his mind. He’d expected to die, after his injury. But his ability to wake up indicated otherwise. So – what had happened? Was Rey all right?

Finn frowned and finally succeeded in opening his eyes. He blinked them several times – the light, while not overly bright, was still more intense than he’d expected. Finally, they cleared, and Finn found himself staring up through a transparent bubble to a pale ceiling.

 _First priority: where the kriff am I and is it First Order or Resistance?_ Finn thought. He was hoping for the latter. It did seem more likely –the Resistance appeared more inclined to rescue people off frozen artificial planets and heal them...

Finn slowly turned his head to the left and right – which took effort but was doable. It appeared he was in a medical bay of some sort, but he couldn’t see any obvious signs of allegiance either way. He _could_ see, though, that the bubble appeared to be part of his hospital bed. It was a strange contraption, with the top part made of some sort of semi-transparent material that became steadily opaquer from the end of his ribs downwards. His arms and head were encased in separate bubbles compared to his body. Finn couldn’t quite see his legs or feet from his position but could feel that the body bubble appeared to stop mid-thigh. His legs were covered by a thick blanket that also covered part of his abdomen.

Finn frowned. Well, that was all very interesting…but he couldn’t ignore the other things on his mind. _What’s my status?_ He asked himself. Finn tried to move his arms – surprisingly difficult, and also sort of painful, the kind of tingly pain that came after he’d slept funny and cut off his blood circulation by mistake. He tried the experiment with his legs, finding moving them even more of a challenge. _Yeowch_. Tingly, but more severe. Maybe something had been damaged? He hoped it wasn’t permanent.

He knew better than to try moving his back at all – even if he hadn’t been trapped in this weird bubble-bed, his last memory – of that lightsabre carving into him – advised against it. The bubble-bed must have been temperature-controlled, Finn realised, because, despite some lingering pain, he was surprisingly comfortable – at least physically. The bubble around his torso was full of viscous fluid, concentrated around his back. _Bacta?_ Finn wondered. Troopers rarely warranted the use of the healing treatment, but he’d learnt about it.

Finn frowned. Okay, so he knew his own capabilities and something about his immediate surroundings. Now he could focus on the question he’d been putting off until now: if he was here (wherever that was), where was Rey? The last time he’d seen her… Finn shuddered, then cringed as his back flared with pain. He deliberately relaxed it against the spongey pad he was lying on and looked around again.

This time, he spotted a human woman, a stranger, in the doorway. He stared at her and tried to move his fingers in their bubble. She saw him looking and walked briskly over to him, trailed by a medical droid. Finn was pleased to realise that she wasn’t wearing a First Order uniform…and was that a Resistance insignia on her jacket?

Then the woman spoke. “Greetings, Finn.” She said, “My name is Doctor Kalonia and this is 2-1BE. I’m the chief medical officer of this ward and indeed the Resistance, and you’ve been in my care for the last few days, now.”

Finn blinked and tried to speak, only managing a croak. _Resistance, good_. He thought. Of course, this woman could be lying to him, but Finn’s instincts told him to trust her. Doctor Kalonia held up her hand. “Your throat is very dry – let me get you a drink and raise the bed a little.” She turned to the side and Finn noticed that the droid, 2-1BE, held a lidded cup with a straw in it.

Kalonia fiddled with the bed’s settings, and Finn felt the suit’s support change around him. He turned questioning eyes on the doctor. “Currently, with your back injury so recent, when you’re doing anything more than lying flat the suit is doing the work of your core muscles to support you.” She explained, “as well as providing the bacta treatment to heal you and supplying nutrition directly to your body.”

Finn felt the bed behind him being raised, slightly, so he was lying at a slight incline and the bubble around his head slowly retracted. 2-1BE moved forward with the cup. “Pleased to meet you, patient Finn. This is plain water that will refresh your throat.” Finn considered the droid and Doctor Kalonia. He didn’t have much choice but to trust them – but, while he hadn’t had the best experience with doctors previously, the Resistance was supposed to be better than the First Order about that sort of thing, right? Also, he was _very_ thirsty.

“Is it acceptable that I hold the cup while you drink?” 2-1BE asked him. Finn blinked and glanced down at his hands, seeing the bubbles around them retract too. He didn’t know if he _could_ hold a drink, right now…still. Nice to be asked. He coughed, then nodded once. “Small sips only, please,” 2-1BE continued. They held the cup out, placing the straw next to Finn’s lips. Finn fastened his lips around the straw and sipped cautiously. The water was very soothing.

After Finn had drunk enough, he looked back at Kalonia again. She had pulled up a chair beside his bed and adjusted his blanket to be within reach of his hands. “I imagine you have many questions.” She said, “We can talk about everything that’s happened since your injury now, if you like.”  
Finn nodded again, perhaps a little too vigorously, as he felt his back twinge. “Where’s Rey?” he asked.

Kalonia smiled. “She is safe.” She said, “She wanted to be here when you woke up, but circumstances dictated otherwise. She’s currently on a mission for the Resistance.” Finn raised his eyebrows, hoping for more information. Kalonia explained, “The day after your injury, the droid Artoo-Detoo woke up and was able to provide the rest of the map to Luke Skywalker that Beebee-Eight had been carrying. It was decided that Rey and Chewbacca would take Artoo-Detoo in the _Falcon_ and retrieve Skywalker.”

Finn blinked. “How…how long ago was that?” he asked, his throat still a little rough from disuse. He carefully noted the information that Kalonia _wasn’t_ giving him – planets, for example. They only trusted him so far, it seemed. “Three days ago, now.” Kalonia said, “They might be gone for some time – the map indicated that Skywalker was on the edge of the Outer Rim, almost at the edge of the galaxy. Even with a decent hyperdrive, the _Falcon_ could take some days to travel there. Especially given its age – and the fact they have to be…subtle about their path.”

Finn frowned, hearing her unspoken message: he wouldn’t be seeing Rey for some time. “Oh,” he said, looking away. “Thank you, Doctor.” What hadn’t been explained was _why_ it had to be Rey to retrieve Skywalker – but perhaps that was supposed to be obvious? Rey had the Force and Skywalker was a Jedi, after all… Kalonia studied him, sympathetic. “She left a message for you with the droid BB-8, for when you awoke.” She told him. “If it hadn’t been necessary to leave as soon as possible, she’d have waited for you to wake up.”

Finn looked back at her and believed her. Then his mind caught up with the first part of what she’d said. “A message for me?” He asked. Finn couldn’t help but glance around medbay, hoping that BB-8 – and Poe – would reveal themselves as Kalonia and 2-1BE had earlier. But there was no such luck.

Kalonia continued, “Currently, Beebee-Eight is out with their caretaker, Commander Dameron, flying escort for ships like ours. But as soon as they’ve landed, I’ll pass on the message that you’re awake.”  
Finn nodded. Duty came first, of course – that made sense. But still – it was a bit…lonely, here. He’d never seen Kalonia before now. “Wh – you said this is a ship?” He asked, stumbling over his words a little – he had so many questions and thoughts, they were getting a bit tangled. Still, any distraction from his lost feelings was a good one.

Kalonia nodded in reply. “Yes – the medical frigate _Anodyne_.” She answered, “We evacuated D’Qar as soon as Rey had left – the First Order knew we were in the Illenium system before we destroyed Starkiller, so we had to move on.” She said, “We’ve been travelling under stealth conditions for the last two days – I decided to keep you unconscious for the initial part of the trip, as hyperspace travel can be risky for some injuries.”

Finn pressed his lips together. “Right.” He said. Now he was aware of it, Finn could feel the tell-tale soft hum of a ship in motion, so familiar from his years growing up on them. Finn took a breath to steady himself, then looked at Kalonia again. “Please, Doctor Kalonia – how bad is it?” he asked.  
Kalonia shifted in her chair and reached out to lay her hand over his nearest one. “It was quite serious when you were brought in.” she said, “May I take you through the last few days, what we’ve done so far to help and what we still need to do?”  
Finn agreed, so Kalonia began.

She explained how the injury had been very severe when he’d been brought in – the wound was quite close to his spine in places and had damaged some nerves and muscle. There had been concern, initially, that it had nicked a vertebra or two. Finn had been placed into an induced coma so they could operate on him. Over the past few days, he had undergone two operations to reconnect and repair damaged nerves and begin the muscle-regeneration process. He could probably expect at least one more in the near future.

After those operations, Finn had been placed in the bacta-bed. The bacta was working now to regrow damaged tissues, but it would still take some days before the treatment was finished. From there, he’d be set up with a physical therapy program so that his weakened muscles could relearn how to do things they’d forgotten. “Which may be a lot of things – walking and feeding yourself, for example. Even sitting up unsupported may be a challenge.” Kalonia explained, “While you’ve been unconscious, you’ve received intramuscular stimulation three times a day to try to prevent complete muscular atrophy, but that can’t solve everything, especially given your injury was to your back.”

It was a lot to take in. Finn sat quietly with it all for a few minutes while Kalonia waited. Eventually, he said, “This seems like a lot of effort to go to for just one …person.” (He’d nearly said ‘trooper’ before reminding himself he wasn’t one, anymore.) Kalonia’s eyes were sad as she watched him. “It’s the effort I would give anyone in my care in this situation.” She said. Finn could feel himself pulling a sceptical face. That idea seemed unreal.

Kalonia studied him. “May I ask…what would the First Order have done?” she asked. Finn snorted and scowled. “Not that.” He said, then elaborated, “An injury like mine… I was expecting not to wake up, Doctor Kalonia. They don’t…back there, you’re either useful or…non-functional. There’s no in-between. If the cost of repairing a non-functional unit’s too high, w- they’re just sent to decommissioning.”

Kalonia breathed in sharply through her nose. “I had heard reports, rumours…but I didn’t know what to make of them.” She muttered, “That’s cruel. Too cruel.” She met Finn’s gaze with steel in her eyes. “You have my word, Finn, that that does not happen here and will not happen. We in the Resistance believe that life has value, no matter who you are – and I intend to have you back to your full capabilities as soon as possible.”

Finn smiled, feeling the truth of her words. He had thought that the First Order had to have been the anomaly in how they treated their troopers. He’d known he was a person, long before he escaped, though they tried to make him into a cog in their machine. It was validating to have it confirmed.

“Thank you.” He said, meeting Kalonia’s gaze. She returned it, the steel from before softening into care. A part of Finn that he hadn’t known was tense began to relax, within himself. A feeling took root that he hadn’t felt in a long time – the beginnings of security.

As Finn pondered, he was surprised by a yawn and he frowned in consternation. Hadn’t he just woken up? Kalonia smiled at him. “You’ve still got a lot of healing to do.” She said, “Your body knows that the best way of doing that, right now, is sleep. Rest, Finn. We’ll still be travelling in hyperspace for a while yet.” She stood and assisted him to adjust his blanket, so his bare arms were covered.

Finn pressed his lips together, exasperated. But she was probably right…and it wasn’t like he had anything to occupy himself with, anyway. Grumbling to himself, he let his eyes slip closed, feeling the softness of the blanket on his skin. At least this time, he knew he was safe where he slept.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn wakes up again to find someone else sitting by his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't quite intend to be this long between chapters, but I became a little side-tracked this week by some do-it-yourself astronavigation. My fics will have properly-thought-out hyperspace times, no hand-waving here!

Sometime later, Finn blinked his eyes open again, reorienting himself as he had last time. His dreams had not been as peaceful as he’d have liked, though he couldn’t remember much of them beyond a lingering unease.

Finn sighed to himself, breathing deeply and trying to let go of that feeling. A noise at the side of his bed startled him and he turned his head to see Poe Dameron watching him from the chair that Kalonia had last occupied.

Finn grinned. “Hey, Poe,” he said. Poe had a funny sort of smile on his face – happy, but also…sort of sad? “Buddy,” Poe said – and Finn realised it wasn’t sadness, but relief. “I’m _so_ glad you’re awake – that you’re okay. You have no idea.” Poe continued. He blinked his eyes a few times, still wearing that funny smile.

Finn chuckled. “Oh, I don’t know – I think I can tell. It certainly feels good to be awake from my end.” He said. A whistle-beep from Poe’s feet made Finn tilt his head to see BB-8 was there and seemed to agree with him. “Hey, Beebee-Eight,” Finn greeted the droid.

Poe chuckled too, though his was more subdued. “I…when Chewbacca carried you off the _Falcon_ , you looked pretty bad.” He admitted, drawing Finn’s gaze to him again. “I think I annoyed Kalonia with the number of hours I spent in medbay on D’Qar, hoping you’d wake up before we left, even though I knew it was unlikely.” He said. Finn realised Poe had been worried about him.

Finn could feel himself flushing. “Thanks,” he said, though he wasn’t quite sure if that was the correct response. Poe pulled a face. “You’re welcome.” He said, then added, “That’s how I met Rey, actually. She didn’t leave your side much either.”

Finn smiled. “Yeah, Doctor Kalonia said something like that when I woke up before.” He said. Poe nodded. “I can’t believe I missed that,” he joked, “Four days hanging around waiting and then you woke up when I was obliged to be somewhere else!” It took Finn a second to appreciate that Poe was trying to be funny – he was trying a bit too hard, but Finn appreciated his attempt at lightening the mood.

He leant into it with a laugh. “Yeah, well, if you’d skived off flying just to come sit by my sickbed, I’d be tempted to book a bed here for you.” he said, gesturing to an empty bed nearby. Finn knew Poe had his own responsibilities – but it was nice to hear Poe say that he’d wanted to be there.

Poe chuckled, then sobered. “I’m glad Kalonia was there…but I still wish I’d been.” He said, “Can’t have been much fun, waking up alone.” He reached out and touched Finn’s wrist. It was different touch to Kalonia’s. The touch of a friend, rather than the clinical comfort of a medical professional. Finn grimaced. “It wasn’t,” he admitted, frankly. He shifted his hand to press it against Poe’s, despite some physical discomfort. “But you’re here now, so we’ll call it even.” He said.

Their eyes met and held for a moment that seemed to stretch...until Poe dropped his gaze to his lap, looking oddly uncertain. Finn felt warm all over. Then Poe said, “So, I’ve been told this would be only your second wake-up, but I can’t imagine you’ve got much to do yet?”

Finn pulled a face. “I think I have to lie flat for a few more days, from what Kalonia said.” He replied. Poe nodded as if that’s what he’d been expecting. “Well, I spoke to a few people, and we’ve gathered some stuff for you to entertain yourself with.” He said, “Most of it is audio, right now – I was informed you wouldn’t be using your hands too much beyond what was necessary for a while yet. Have to get out of the bacta-bed first.”

Finn blinked, then grinned. “Kalonia said as much when I first woke up,” he began, “And…what stuff?” Finn’s question was answered by Poe piling a number of different things onto the table next to his bed. One was a data-reader. The others were all discs to go with it, which could be inserted into a playback holder, then changed using voice commands. “Music, holo-novels, holo-vids…” Poe said, tapping a few of the items. “There’s fiction and non-fiction to choose from. I recommend starting with the music.” He flicked Finn a quick wink.

Finn blinked and stared at the pile of things on the table. “Poe…” he began, not sure how to respond…it was too much just for him, surely? Poe seemed to sense his confusion. “They’re copies.” He said, “I wasn’t the only one – a few of my pilot friends left stuff, and a few others too, when they overheard us… I think Leia might’ve even contributed something.”

Finn’s eyes widened. _General Organa_ had…? “But – why?” he asked, still uncertain. Poe grinned.   
“Well, someone told me you were a big deal around here…” he teased. When Finn spluttered (because _how_ did he know about that? Why _would_ Rey have told him?), Poe relented and explained, “And your story – or, a version of it, anyway – went around base pretty fast after Starkiller. You were our most injured being after it and it was down to you that the plan succeeded at all, so…people want to say thank you. As well as… welcome.”

Finn smiled, still feeling rather overwhelmed. “Plenty of people helped at Starkiller.” He said. He thought of Han Solo suddenly, with a pang. Poe nodded. “Yeah, they did. But someone had to get them in. And that was you. Don’t downplay that.” He said, pointing at Finn, “Plus, if you hadn’t rescued me off that ship and then continued my mission, it would’ve all been for nothing. For a number of my friends, it’s personal.” He said, looking away to touch a couple of data-discs.

“You did save my life.” He added, in a lower tone, looking up at Finn.   
Finn smiled. “And a good thing I did too.” He said, firmly. Poe smiled.

Then Finn remembered something from earlier. “Oh! Kalonia said that Rey recorded a message with BB-8 before she left?” He questioned.   
Poe straightened. “Oh, yeah, it’s there.” He replied.

Poe assisted BB-8 to roll up onto a platform next to the bed. Then he glanced at Finn. “Do you want to watch it in private, or…?” he asked, looking awkward all of a sudden. Finn was glad he’d asked though. “Um, yeah, if that’s all right.” He said. Rey might have said something personal to him, after all. Poe nodded. “Of course it is. I’ll…be back later, then.” He said, and left Finn and BB-8 alone.

As soon as the door closed and Poe’s footsteps faded, BB-8 chirped at Finn. Finn, while still not understanding binary (he hoped there was a how-to guide in one of those audio files), was able to guess what the astromech was saying. He nodded. “Yeah, play it Beebee.” He said. BB-8 switched on the recording, projecting Rey onto Finn’s legs. She was seated in front of the droid, wearing different clothes to the ones she’d been captured in. She looked tired.

“Hello, Finn.” She said. Finn found himself swallowing past a lump in his throat at her voice – here was proof that she was all right. Rey continued, “I’d meant to be there when you woke up, but Doctor Kalonia says that you’ve still got some healing to do before that happens, and I have to leave now.” She blinked back tears, looking a little lost for a moment, then went on, “Finn – I will never forget that you came back for me. No-one’s ever done that before, that I can remember anyway. Thank you, for that. Thank you. I will always remember that – my friend.”

She sniffed, then said, more business-like, “So, you’re probably wondering what happened after Ren got you. Short version is that I woke up, before Ren could finish off either of us, then fought him.” Her mouth formed a dangerous smile. “I even scarred his face. The disintegration of Starkiller prevented us from finishing, but I doubt he’ll forget us in a hurry.” Finn’s lips curved into his own satisfied smile to match Rey’s. _Good_. That scum deserved a good hard lesson.

Rey was still speaking. “I can’t wait until I return, and I can tell you all of this face to face. I want to know what your side of the story is, because I was unconscious for it.” she said, “But that will have to wait. Finn, they’re sending me to collect _Luke Skywalker_ , the Jedi. It’s going to take a while – he’s gone and secluded himself on an island planet in the middle of the Unknown Regions.”

Rey continued, “I thought I’d be more nervous than I am – he’s a legend, and the idea of meeting him should be scarier than it is. But instead – I feel like I’ve waited for this day my whole life. I don’t understand, but I have to accept that it’s the Force. The Force is calling me to him.” Rey’s face shone with her hope. She said, “I believe it. The Force brought you and I together, Finn, I _know_ that to be true. If you’d been awake, I’d have wanted you with me on this trip. But as that’s impossible, be strong and rest well. I know we’ll see each other again.” she said. Then the recording switched off.

Finn blinked and found his face was wet. BB-8 gave a concerned coo. “I’m fine, Beebee. Just…really glad she’s okay.” He said. BB-8 chirped, then he stuck his lighter appendage out in the ‘thumbs up’ gesture. Finn grinned. “Yeah,” he agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are people's opinions on the written-out form of BB-8's name? The adult TFA novelisation has them as 'Beebee-Ate', but that doesn't make sense to me so in my fics their full name as Beebee-Eight.
> 
> Next chapter won't be posted until I've made proper headway with the first chapter of Episode VIII.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn's recovery continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life happens, or this chapter would have been here faster. Hope you enjoy.

Some days passed. Finn’s recovery continued, gaining speed now he was able to get up and move around. It would still take some time before he was fully recovered…but it would, he was assured, occur.

On the fourth day after Finn woke up, the convoy exited hyperspace for the final time. The bigger transports were joined by smaller ships, which had left D’Qar after them but travelled faster. As they travelled toward the planet of their new base, a message was received that made many excited. Poe and BB-8 brought a copy to Finn as soon as they could.

“It’s from Artoo-Detoo,” Poe explained, “A recorded message in binary scramble-code, passed through See-Threepio’s droid network.”  
Finn sat forward eagerly. “What’s it say?” he asked.

BB-8 projected a view he’d recorded, of C-3PO translating Artoo’s binary whistles. “They are at the planet Bakura, refuelling.” C-3PO said, pausing to listen more before continuing, “The next – and final – stage of the journey will take them five days using unknown routes in Wild Space. … They will be out of contact from now until they return.” BB-8 stopped projecting, the message over.

Finn thought for a moment. “They’ll be with Skywalker in five days?” he asked.   
Poe nodded. “Assuming everything goes according to plan, yeah.” He said, “And that Skywalker’s still there.”

Finn raised his eyebrows. “You’re optimistic.” He said sarcastically, pursing his lips.   
Poe sighed. “You know I was the original lead pilot for the mission to find Skywalker. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what-ifs.” He replied, “But it’s true my thoughts have been a bit more… doubtful than usual, since…well. Since.”

Finn pulled a face. _Since the **Finalizer**?_ He wondered. If so, he wasn’t surprised Poe was feeling a little uncertain. An encounter with Ren could do that. Still, though... “They’ll find him,” Finn reassured him, “I’m sure of it.”

As Finn spoke the words, he realised that it wasn’t just hope. Somehow, his instincts _knew_ that Rey (with Chewbacca and Artoo, of course) would find Luke Skywalker – and bring him back, where he was needed.

Poe studied Finn, hearing the certainty in his voice. “Yeah. I trust them.” He agreed.

*

After another hour’s travel, the convoy arrived at their new base, a planet known for its red salt plains and cold desert tundras: Crait.

As the medical shuttle flew down to the surface, Finn had stared out at the red-white plains with their sparse trees and wondered when he would be able to explore them. It had been the start of a strange few days. Finn was not used to inactivity, especially not while others worked around him.

He watched as those from the supply ship _Vigil_ , and other, smaller, transports accompanying the medical frigate, turned the cavern they’d landed in into a liveable space ahead of the arrival of the rest of the Resistance. Finn was intrigued by the process. It was clear that this was not the first relocation these beings had undertaken – everything was carried out with a practiced air.

Finn wanted to help – but at the same time, he was glad that Kalonia had informed him his priority was “healing and resting”. The Resistance members were so _busy_ in a way that the First Order never allowed their members to be, hectic and loud and colourful. They all knew how they fit into their roles, while Finn was still working that out.

This was something that he’d begun examining and deconstructing as part of his healing process. On his second day of wakefulness, while they were still travelling in hyperspace, Finn had been introduced to his psychologist.

The Resistance lead psych, and Finn’s personal one, was a Chagrian called Jak Meeto. He was about as different to the First Order’s human psy-techs and their droids as it was possible to be; tall, blue, and horned. Jak, as Finn was asked to call him, was very personable, and while he had his own droids, these reminded Finn more of BB-8 than of the re-education droids he was used to. This, Finn was sure, was deliberate. Though he’d still been extremely nervous until they’d established the difference between psychologists and psy-techs.

In the First Order, psy-techs supervised reconditioning – forcibly retraining the brains of troopers using medications and verbal and physical conditioning that prescribed _how_ to feel. In the Resistance, the mental health unit of medical that Jak ran was staffed by psychologists who worked _with_ their patients in healing them, assisting them to feel safe, building up trust, and choice, and overall wellbeing.

Jak had explained that, according to Republic definitions, what Finn had gone through was classified as “trauma”. Finn struggled, initially, with this. “So there _is_ something wrong with me,” he’d said when Jak had tried to explain. Jak had reassured him: there was nothing ‘wrong’ with how his brain worked and especially nothing wrong in how Finn _cared_. However, the First Order had told him his caring was a weakness, taught him poor coping skills, and expected him to deal with their violence. They were the ones in the wrong. Not him.

“You are Finn – a person, a being of the galaxy. You have emotions, feelings, just like any other being. They cannot take your experiences away from you.”

The first few sessions had focused on ways for Finn to develop his sense of safety in his new surroundings. There were grounding exercises and a focus on developing what Jak called “self-regulation strategies”. These were useful for Finn’s nightmares, which had begun to occur most nights. Finn was told this was a sign his mind was beginning to acclimatise and feel safe enough to let go of some of his past experiences. Finn was somewhat uncertain about all that…he felt _safer_ than he had in the Order, sure, but that was still relative. 

Finn’s physical recovery was progressing well. Physical therapy had begun the day after he’d woken up, and he’d been encouraged to spend more time out of bed during the day. When they arrived on Crait, Finn had graduated out of the bacta-bed entirely. Instead, he received bacta injections or patches every couple of days. These would, he was told, taper off until, by the end of the fortnight, he’d be only having the physical therapy as well as his psych sessions. He’d be ready for discharge then, though it would still be some time after that before he was completely physically healed.

While on board the _Vigil_ , Finn had used a hoverchair to get around. Yesterday, however, he’d been fitted with metal braces known as ‘exoskeleton legs’, or exo-legs, as everyone called them. These acted in place of and alongside his nerves while they healed, so Finn could walk – albeit, very carefully. Finn was still getting used to them, but they were certainly promising. They were a temporary measure – it was expected that Finn would be walking on his own by discharge day. Finn was looking forward to that.

Finn felt nervous about discharge, but also more than ready. Despite the donated entertainment materials and his nerves at how he’d function in the outside world, Finn was rapidly growing bored. His world currently existed of his room, the physio area, the psych office and the sensory garden which grew in an open-air shipping crate at the back of medical. While the entertainment materials helped with the boredom, it still wasn’t much – not when Finn itched to be out there, _doing_ something to assist the Resistance against the First Order.

*

Finn was distracted from his musings by the now-familiar footsteps, loud voice and beeping that heralded a visit from Poe and BB-8. Poe and Beebee had tried to visit most days when they weren’t on a mission, and today both seemed to be in particularly good mood. BB-8 was beeping quite loudly, sounding excited, while Poe followed behind them, laughing.

“Slow down, buddy!” Finn heard Poe say. Then the door opened, and Poe and BB entered.   
Finn grinned. “Boy am I glad to see you two,” he said. Poe grinned back.   
“Hopefully, you’ll be even more pleased with us in a minute...got permission to spring you from medical for an afternoon.” He said. He had a bag tucked under his arm.

Finn’s smile grew. “Seriously? All _right_!” he said, enthused. Poe bounced on his toes a little.   
“Got any places you want to see?” he asked.

Finn considered the question as he snapped his exo-legs on, before deciding, “Nowhere too crowded. Somewhere outside would be nice. The closest I’ve got to that lately is the sensory garden – and that still has _walls_.” He added.

Poe nodded. “I hear you,” he said, “The garden’s great, but it doesn’t compare to actual outside freedom.” He considered for a moment, then went on, “There’s a path that runs around the edge of the base that we could use. Should be pretty quiet there.”

Finn smiled at him. _He thinks of everything_ , he thought fondly. “I think I can manage that. Sounds nice.” He said. Poe grinned. Then BB-8 beeped at him and Poe looked down at the droid, shifting the bag in his arms.

“I’m getting there, Beebee.” he said. Finn raised his eyebrows at him. Poe continued, “I…while you were unconscious, I got your jacket fixed. It just came back today.” He pulled the old brown jacket from the bag. Finn’s heart did a funny little flip on seeing it.   
“I’d wondered where that was,” he muttered.

That jacket meant a lot to him. It was the first tangible thing he’d claimed for himself, second only to his name. It had sheltered him from the harsh sun of Jakku during that long trek to Niima Outpost. And it was a tangible reminder of Poe, the man who’d piloted him to freedom. It had warmed him during his first flight on the _Falcon_ , the hectic escape with Rey by his side, meeting Han Solo…the lot. Then it had become _his_ when Poe had gifted it to him on the tarmac at D’Qar.

Finn took the jacket from Poe and examined it closely. He’d assumed it was lost, damaged beyond repair. To have it returned to him, neatly stapled and stitched together, was an unlooked-for gift. “Thanks, Poe,” he said quietly.

“You’re welcome, buddy,” Poe said at the same volume – Finn could feel his eyes watching him. Finn unfolded the jacket and carefully put it on, mindful of it not catching on the soft shirt that was all that was covering his bandaged scar. He rolled his shoulders, feeling the material move with him.

It was familiar and comforting in its own way. Finn looked at Poe, pleased and thankful. Poe gave him an approving smile back. “Still suits you,” he said, his voice soft and relieved again.

Finn chuckled. “ _Now_ I’m ready for a walk.” He said. He pushed himself to his feet using the grab rails on the sides of his chair and stood there for a moment, letting the exo-legs familiarise themselves with his bio-readings and match them to the program stored its tiny navicomp. Then he stepped forward – one foot, then the other. It was a slow, very deliberate walk, but for now that was enough. “Let’s go,” he said.

Poe and Finn left the room side by side, with BB-8 rolling along beside them. Poe directed them through the corridors that led down to the outer doors, sharing the little things of his day as he walked. Finn let the words wash over him, content to listen and observe.

They passed a handful of beings on their way – most of whom barely spared Finn a second glance, intent on their own duties. Finn was glad about that. One or two exchanged nods or greetings with Poe – and these beings would nod at Finn to include him. Finn would nod back, relieved that no-one seemed to care he didn’t know names. Poe would usually tell him who they were after, anyway. “That was Teng, he’s an engineer. … Granth works in Intel and Tactics…”

After a few minutes, they reached the outer door they were aiming for. Poe went first. Finn followed, then almost immediately stopped to look around. The base was built into the side of a mountain, with rooms stacked on top of each other and spreading out. From this outside view, Finn could see how tall the mountain was. Turning around, he looked at the salt plains, stretching out as far as he could see. The weak sun glinted off the visible crystals.

Poe bent down and scooped some up to show Finn. “Here,” he said, offering them to him. Finn accepted the crystals into his cupped hand and rolled them around his palm with the other. He dabbed a finger in the pile, then brought that finger to his nose and sniffed. His nose scrunched at the unfamiliar smell. “Huh,” he said, bringing his salt-coated finger up near his eyes and studying the grains up close. Then he glanced at Poe. “Is this stuff toxic?” he asked.

Poe shook his head, observing him. “We’ve tested it and it seems pretty safe – no bio-suits required, anyway.” He replied. Finn nodded, accepting the answer. Then he tentatively stuck out his tongue and touched it with his finger, tasting the mineral dust. “Huh,” he said again. It had a sharp tang that made his nose itch; salty and oddly metallic. Completely different to the snow he’d tasted on Starkiller. “I like it,” he finally decided.

Poe smiled at him. “Welcome to Crait,” he said. Finn grinned.

He then thought of something. “Could I take some back inside, do you think?” he asked Poe. Poe nodded. “Plenty of people take souvenirs. It’s fine.” He said. There was the question of what to collect some with, but BB-8 turned out to be carrying a small jar in one of their compartments.

Poe collected some crystals in the jar, commenting that their colour came from the rhodochrosite minerals in the salt and soil – “I’m sure one of your holos has something on it about them, I’ll show you when we get back if you like.”

After they’d stored the jar, they began walking again, following the path that wound its way around the mountain. Along the far side, there were some trees with vivid red-orange bark and purple leaves. Poe called them kuvara trees. Finn moved close to a low-hanging branch to feel the bark – rough and scratchy – and the large leaves – which were very fuzzy. He smiled.

Finn rubbed the leaf between his fingertips and breathed deeply, inhaling the tree’s bitter sap-scent. For a moment, it was as if he _was_ the tree – roots stretching into the soil, leaves absorbing the light, branches dancing in the breeze.

Finn blinked, realising he’d shut his eyes, and that the leaf had come away in his hand. He frowned. _What just happened?_ He then mentally shook his head. _Not thinking about it right now_. He shoved the awareness back again. He turned back to face Poe, still holding the leaf in his hand. “Where to next?” he asked, deciding that that was enough outside time for now.

Poe studied him, a curious frown on his face, but to Finn’s relief, he eventually decided to just answer Finn’s question. “Want to see the hangar?” he asked.   
Finn perked up. “Ooh, yeah,” he said. They made a turn on the path and followed it around to a rocky outcrop which hid the hangar opening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly abrupt chapter cut-off because Ch. 3 & 4 are basically the same chapter, split in two. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G9W4ZdYa2I – where I got my inspiration for the ‘exo-legs’. 
> 
> I named the trees by going to Wookiepedia and searching for ‘trees’. 😉 I’m imagining that the kuvara leaf looks and feels like the Earth plant known as “lamb’s ear” (google it), but coloured purple not silver-green.
> 
> The next and final chapter will be up when chapter 1 of Episode VIII is ready - hopefully sometime next week but I make no promises.

**Author's Note:**

> The section at the start was written while rereading TFA's novelisation and watching a clip of the fight scene over and over, pausing it at important points. 
> 
> Please review and let me know what you think.


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